La Pavoni Europiccola Espresso Machine Review

If you have been considering a manual/lever home espresso maker, the Europiccola by La Pavoni is one of the top choices to consider. It is a genuine Italian-made machine. Many people strongly feel that Italian-made home espresso machines are of much better quality than anything else available.

This is a manual home espresso machine (also commonly called a lever espresso machine). These types of espresso machines are considered by most people to produce the best espresso possible, much more so than semi-auto and super-auto machines. You do, of course, need practice before you will be successful at using any lever espresso machine.

Product Description

Here is a complete, in-depth, thorough, and honest La Pavoni Europiccola EL espresso machine review, both the good and the bad features included, to help you decide if this machine would be a good choice for you.

Top features that we really like about this manual home espresso machine include the following:

• Constructed of durable steel with chrome finish on the outside.
• Large boiler capacity of 0.8 liters (8 cups).
• Heats up and ready for steaming water in just 10 minutes.
• Water level indicator.
• Included with the machine in the box are a screen holder, measuring ladle, cappuccino attachment, and a tamper.
• Also arrives at your door with a video instruction manual to help you get started.

This machine is a direct lever espresso maker. Although the direct lever feature means you will have complete control over your espresso brewing and the end result, it also means that a ton of practice and patience will likely be required prior to you becoming an excellent espresso brewer. Just keep in mind that this is definitely not an espresso maker that comes with a ton of push buttons.

Because this is a manual espresso machine, there are many less components that can break down. This is just one of the reasons many people opt for a machine such as this one. When speaking of today’s super-automatic and even semi-automatic espresso machines, many are considered to be “throw-away” machines due to the small life length they provide. However, with espresso machines such as this La Pavoni, you can pretty much rest assured it will be something that is likely to last you a lifetime.

In addition, not only does this machine make some of the best espresso you will ever experience, once you get the technical skills learned, it also presents as a virtual work of art sitting on your countertop.

Easy to Use?

Because this machine falls into the classification of manual/lever espresso machines, it most definitely is not the most easy to use, push-button type of machine like your standard super-automatic or even semi-automatic machines are. Beginners who have no experience using espresso machines with a lever will likely need some practice, although this skill is definitely able to be learned by someone determined to learn how.

Any machine that is classified as a manual lever espresso machine most definitely will take some practice for people who have never used one of them before. If you want to learn more about exactly what using a manual/lever espresso machine entails, you can read more detailed information here.

The two primary objectives that a beginner will find difficult to perform correctly include achieving the correct grind coarseness of the coffee beans, as well as the amount of tamp (compression) of the ground coffee beans into the portafilter. A beginner will need some practice with both trying different coarseness of grinds, and different amounts of tamping (compressing) the grounds before a good end result will be achieved.

Spring lever or direct lever?

This machine is a direct-lever machine, meaning there is no spring-assisted device inside the brew group to help with the pumping of the water into and through the grounds. This task, therefore, is completed manually by the home barista.

Material Housing (Outside Casing) Information

This machine is made to last a lifetime with its durable, all-steel exterior and beautiful heavy chrome plating.

Drip Tray Information

This machine has an easy clean drip tray, which means all, or at least most, of the spills and drips that are bound to happen will be caught in the drip tray.

Coffee Ground Tamper Information

Although this machine does come with a tamper, customers have reported that the one that arrives with the machine is the incorrect size. A 51-mm tamper is the correct size tamper for this machine.

Milk Frothing Info.

This machine heats water up incredibly quickly, with a total approximate time of 10 minutes prior to being able to froth milk.

Of note is that the frothing wand is located very close to the boiler, and the wand does not swivel outward.

Steam Pressure Information

Customers who have purchased and used this machine have reported that the steam pressure of this machine is very ample for steaming/frothing milk to perfection.

Boiler Pressure Gauge Information

This machine has no pressure gauge; however, no worries! The La Pavoni Europiccola features a steam escape valve that regulates the pressure, thus there is no need for a pressure gauge.

Boiler Capacity Information

This machine has a boiler capacity of 0.80 liter, which is equal to 8 cups of water.

Boiler Pressure Information

This boiler provides pressure of 0.7 to 0.8 bar pressure.

Information Regarding Heat-Up Time

This machine heats water for brewing in about 5 minutes average, and it is capable of heating enough to produce steam in approximately 10 minutes.

Machine Dimensions

This machine’s dimensions are very small compared to a lot of the espresso machines available, which means people with less counter space could easily consider this machine, which measures just 11  x  7  x  12 inches.

Wattage Information

This machine is powered with 1,000 watts.

Warranty Information

This machine has a 1-year warranty.

Customer Reviews – La Pavoni Europiccola EL Espresso Machine Review

Pros

• Incredibly compact size— this means it won’t take up much counter space.
• Complete control of your espresso brewing experience— Because this is a manual lever espresso machine, you have complete control of the end result. (However, keep in mind that this could also be a not so good thing, if you have no experience making espresso with a manual lever espresso machine.)
• Very durable construction, consisting primarily of steel.
• Very fast heating ability of about 5 minutes for a full water reservoir,which ensures you won’t be waiting around for 20 minutes (or longer) for the water to heat up.
• Water level indicator,which ensures you will know when a refill is needed without having to peer down into the water reservoir.
• Great steaming/frothing ability.Provides the capability of being able to steam 12+ ounces of milk.

Cons

• Lightweight base— customers have reported that the base could have been built more solidly, particularly when compared to the remainder of the machine, which is constructed of very durable steel.
• Steam wand that does not swivel and is located very close to the boiler— this means that milk must be steamed very close to where the boiler is located.
• Difficult to learn for beginners who are new to making espresso– although practice makes perfect, if you are a newbie to making espresso, you definitely will need some practice before you will get that desired end result. Do keep in mind, however, that the goal of superb espresso made at home is absolutely a goal that can be within your reach, with just some practice and experimentation!